As They Should Be
by Lady Dudley
Summary: Everyone has their 'Pam leaves and then returns' story, this is mine: Fifty years after the events of S6 have been resolved, Pam comes home.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: For headfilledwithbirds who gave me the prompt, although this is more the aftermath of what I was given rather than the actual prompt. Hope you like it anyway! The Nora/Pam relationship is AU as my head canon is that Pam knew who she was but not that she was in the Authority.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

_**As They Should Be**_

"_We procreate because we _want_ to and one day he will find someone that he _wants_ to turn, where will you be then?"_

Pam's lip curled in anger as Nora's words came back to haunt her.

"_You want to be Eric Northman's punching bag for the rest of eternity, that's up to you, but I didn't sign up for that shit!"_

Tara's words elicited a snarl of anger, even after all this time.

Her progeny had been against Eric from the start and her hatred, fuelled by her jealousy, had led to several heated exchanges between the pair.

Pam had eventually grown tired of her incessant whinging and insubordination and cut her loose, but that didn't mean that her words hadn't affected her.

"_Get out of my sight before I kill you."_

"_You made another vampire?"  
"I did."_

She hadn't realised it at the time, but those two brief exchanges had spelled the beginning of the end for her.

It was bad enough that he had completely lost his head over Sookie, but his turning Willa had been a whole other ballgame.

He'd made another vampire within days of releasing her; to say that she felt replaced was an understatement.

No matter what feeble excuses he'd tried to make, the moment the danger had passed she'd left.

For the first time since her turning she was a free agent, Eric had no power to command her and Tara no longer had any claims on her.

It was liberating.

At first.

No matter where she went or what she did, the ache of losing him never really went away. After everything he had said and done, her traitorous heart still loved him.

And she missed him.

Which was why she was now standing in the middle of her walk-in wardrobe, freshly made up and naked as she tried to find a suitable outfit.

She frowned, what exactly did one wear when they returned to the Maker/lover/soul mate/best friend they hadn't seen in over fifty years?

_Ex-_lover, she corrected herself, _ex-_best friend.

She stopped her corrections there, unable to deny that – despite everything – he was still her soul mate and he would _always_ be her Maker.

The problem was she couldn't decide what kind of impression she wanted to make and a part of her, one that was bigger than she cared to admit, was terrified that he hadn't missed her at all.

In the end she settled on a midnight blue dress, one that had absolutely no connection to her Maker or their life together but still showed off her figure to perfection.

She wasn't going to return with any outward sign of wanting to make amends, but that didn't mean that she couldn't look her best.

That resolution in mind, she gave herself a final once-over in the mirror and left her house.


	2. Chapter 2

Fangtasia was still the most popular vampire-related destination in Shreveport and the ancient, brooding vampire who presided over the establishment only added to the bar's dark allure.

Women – and some men – were drawn to the spectre of danger and pathos that he represented. A few had even been brave enough to approach him, each of them seeking to somehow comfort him.

All had been firmly rebuffed and none had ever made a second attempt; not even Willa, the sweet, dark haired vampire who manned the bar and was rumoured to be his progeny.

Nonetheless, Eric Northman continued to be a source of endless fascination to regulars and newcomers alike; meaning that no one in the bar missed his start as a beautiful blonde walked into the bar.

Their interest already piqued, it quickly became riveted as he suddenly shot across the room at vampire speed and grabbed the newcomer by the upper arms, staring at her in disbelief.

"Um…hello," she greeted him.

"Hello," he breathed, still staring at her in shock.

Pam reflected that she would have found his apparent inability to form a coherent sentence amusing, if she weren't suffering from the same problem. She had dreamed about this moment for a long time, but she hadn't anticipated how overwhelming she would find being in his presence again.

She was torn between unleashing all of her hurt and anger and the sudden need to be as close to him as possible.

"You came back," he murmured, breaking the silence.

She nodded mutely, ashamed to feel tears welling up in her eyes.

This was _not_ what she had planned at all; her vision blurred and she found herself crushed tightly against him. A sob escaped as she clutched the front of his shirt in her fists.

"I missed you," she whispered against his chest.

He pulled her impossibly closer, almost lifting her off the ground, "I missed you too, _min dyrbara_. _F__örlåt mig_," he whispered into her hair, "please…_Jag __kan__inte __förlora dig__,_" he pulled back a little to look into her eyes,"_inte __igen._"

Several different responses flashed through Pam's mind – not all of them particularly pleasant – but as she saw her own pain reflected in his eyes, she realised the real reason she'd returned.

She missed him, yes, but she was also tired. Tired of fighting with him and tired of being without him.

It was time to make things right.

"Stay with me," he begged before she could respond, resting his forehead against hers.

"Always," she murmured, wrapping her arms around his neck.

She felt him freeze in her embrace and he slowly pulled back, searching her face. Whatever he was looking for, he must have found because he slowly started to close the distance between them, watching her intently for any sign of her pulling away. There was none and she melted against him as he kissed her.

"I _knew_ it!"

The voice of an overawed patron brought them back to reality and to the belated realisation that they had an audience.

"Enjoy the show?" Eric asked with a smirk, before ignoring the crowd once more as he turned back to Pam. He tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, "Let's take this someplace else," he suggested in a low tone, "we have a lot to discuss," he added, taking her hand and leading her out into the night.

Truth be told, Eric and Pam were far more interested in rekindling the romance that evening than in talking, but in the days and weeks ahead they did find the time to talk (argue) about the past before it was finally laid to rest.

For her part, Willa eventually struck out of her own, secure in the knowledge that her Maker was no longer in danger of doing something stupid.

Which left Eric and Pam alone together, just as they should be.

**...**

**A/N: One day I will not live up to my epithet of the 'Queen of Fluff'...today is not that day. I couldn't resist throwing in Jessica's line from S5 :P  
**

_min dyrbara = _my precious

_F__örlåt mig_ = forgive me

_Jag __kan__inte __förlora dig, inte __igen =_ I can't lose you, not again_  
_


End file.
